Americans Want a Check on Obama’s Agenda

A majority of Americans say they would vote for a Republican member of Congress in order to provide a check and balance to President Obama’s agenda, according to a new poll.

The poll by McLaughlin & Associates shows that by a 51-41 margin the respondents prefer a check on Obama’s agenda, a 17-point reversal from January when a poll by the same firm showed a 47-40 preference for having more Democrats in Congress in order to help Obama.

The biggest drop came among Democrats as 75% said they want to help Obama pass his agenda, versus 86% in January. Among Republicans, support for more Democrats in Congress fell 4 points from 10% to 6%. Independents had a 3 percentage point shift in the other direction, with 38% saying they would vote Democratic to help Obama compared to 35% in January.